The natural origin, no mineral oil Caudalie Make-Up Removing Cleansing Oil works, but just not for my skin

If there’s one thing we should have learned by now, it’s this – A cleansing oil is not necessarily only for removing makeup, but it serves as a first cleanse in the evening to remove the grime of the day. At least, that’s what I learned about cleansing oils back when I was using it judiciously.

It puzzled me a little therefore, when the Caudalie Make-up Removing Cleansing Oil landed on my desk with its very specific product name. Well, pay it no heed – use it as you will any other cleansing oil, whether you use it to remove makeup, or as your first evening cleanse, even if you do not wear makeup. You’d be surprised at how much better your skin feels at the end of a day, after a thorough cleanse!

Caudalie says that this is a cleansing oil that is 100% of natural origin and contains no mineral oil, silicones nor preservatives. This will please anyone who might subscribe to this school of thought. The very popular Shu Uemura cleansing oil, for example, contains mineral oil which is known to be a pore-clogging ingredient. I can’t use the Shu oils, but I don’t think it’s due to just mineral oil. But that’s another story.

For Caudalie, their oils are a combination of sunflower seed oil and castor oil, grape-seed oil and sweet almond oil to dissolve and remove makeup from skin and nourish skin with antioxidant properties. I have to say that it did everything that it says on the box. Yet, I ran head-first into a problem.

When I started using this product, I tested it with and without makeup. With makeup on, it does a pretty good job at removing makeup, just like most cleansing oils do.

The oil itself has a slightly thick consistency that doesn’t quite feel “oily” like cooking oil. There was no scent, which surprised me, as most Caudalie products are scented. Instead, it smelled just a little faintly of oil. Nothing unpleasant.

The recommended use is to pump 3 pumps into the palm of your hand and then apply it to dry skin before emulsifying with water. Basically, nothing new if you’re already familiar with cleansing oils. If you aren’t, read this on how to use cleansing oil effectively.

I found that it emulsified well, and removed easily from my skin, leaving it feeling fairly clean although a little dry. I always double-cleanse, so I’d follow up with another cleanser.

In the beginning, all was well. I wasn’t crazy about it, as I had stopped using cleansing oils for a while, preferring to use cleansing balms instead. However, I did warm to the idea of not having to faff about with a face cloth, and it seemed like it was doing a decent job.

I used it fairly regularly for about 2 weeks, and that was when I ran into a problem. I started realising that my skin condition was deteriorating. I was experiencing some breakouts around my chin area, but what bugged me, was the texture of my skin. When I ran my fingers over my cheeks or forehead, there wasn’t an inch of smooth, soft skin to be found. My skin felt bumpy and hardened and it looked dull.

It wasn’t too noticeable, as the bumps weren’t large or obvious. But I knew they were there. When I looked in the mirror, under a light, I noticed the little bumps under my skin. Because it was so wide-spread, it had to be a product that I was using all over my face.

Unfortunately for this cleansing oil, it was the only new product I had introduced into my routine. I was in a bit of a skincare lull at this point, and everything had been peachy before this. When the realization hit, I stopped using this totally, and went on an effort to repair my irritated skin.

I’ve only just gotten my skin back to normal and I haven’t dared go back to this. I’m not even sure what’s in there that caused my skin to react the way it did. I’m not saying it’s a bad product – I liked it for the first week at least – but it just didn’t sit well with my skin in the end.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Caudalie Makeup Removing Cleansing Oil is an emulsifying cleansing oil that removes makeup, and can be used as a first cleanse in your evening skincare routine. The oil doesn’t feel too oily, and it does a good job at cleaning skin of makeup and daily grime. It doesn’t have a scent, and emulsifies easily and rinses off easily as well. It does everything it says on the box, except that it also irritated my skin, so I had to stop using it.

For anyone interested, here is the ingredient list, which is actually pretty short. In the skincare world, short ingredient lists are usually better because there’s less in there to irritate – didn’t work for me!

It’s interesting to note the inclusion of Parfum (Fragrance) when my nose detected no scent in my bottle, except a faintly oily smell. So, I’m not sure if it’s my bottle at fault, or a scent that’s undetectable.

Have you tried this Caudalie cleansing oil? Are you still a fan of cleansing oil?

I do still find cleansing oils too drying for me. I wonder if that’s why my skin reacted to this one? It could well be that it was drying out my skin without my realising it, and therefore causing my pores to be clogged. Or it could have clogged it. Either way, I’m not about to find out by trying it again! 😛

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About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

I was using only cleansing balms for a while, and decided to change to cleansing oil again, just because it’s faster. I bought the salon size of the Dermalogica Precleanse. I remember loving it, so it’s the only cleansing oil I’m using at the moment. Once I’m done, I’m probably going to be switching back to balms just for variety sake.
I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you! I remember this happened when I used SKII. It took a long time for my skin to get back to normal, because I initially thought it was hormones! Once I got rid of all SKII products, my skin slowly went back to normal. Now when I see SKII, I avoid it like a plague!

Absolutely agree with you on the ease of use of cleansing oils. I just finished up my Tatcha one and that was a good one. Only too pricey and the shipping was just too expensive to justify getting. I remember liking the Dermalogica Preclease too! That one was another good one. I’m still sticking to balms though. More hassle, but my skin doesn’t throw a fit when I try to short cut the process haha! Oh like you I can’t use SKII either! I used to, but then I broke out and that was the end of the brand. Never dared go back since.